- CAJAC
- SADC Alliance
- BRICS
The Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) and the Law Society of Namibia (LSN) are pleased to invite members of the legal and business community to a joint seminar aimed at fostering closer collaboration with the Namibian legal community while addressing key practical issues in arbitration and mediation.
The seminar will provide a platform for open dialogue on key developments, challenges, and opportunities in arbitration and mediation across Southern Africa, with a special focus on Namibia’s evolving role within the regional dispute resolution landscape.
Looking forward, the seminar will provide a platform to explore how AFSA and LSN Namibia can work together to:
This seminar is open to:
Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required.
From 1986 to 1988, Justice Peter Shivute worked as a magistrate for the Judicial Service of Zambia. He continued with his judicial career in Namibia from 1992, when he was appointed Magistrate. He rapidly rose through the ranks to reach the highest level in the Magistracy when he was appointed Regional Court Magistrate in 1999, the position he held until the year 2000, when he was appointed a Judge of the High Court, initially as an Acting Judge and later as a Judge in a permanent capacity. In 2003, he was appointed Judge President of the High Court. As the head of the High Court and most senior Judge at that institution, the Judge President bears the ultimate responsibility of ensuring sound administration and effective service-delivery at the High Court. Apart from administrative responsibilities, the Judge President also performs normal judicial functions. On 1 December 2004, at the age of 41, Justice Shivute was appointed Chief Justice of the Republic of Namibia and took overall responsibility for the Namibian Judiciary. He presides over the Supreme Court of Namibia, which hears and adjudicates upon appeals, including appeals which involve the interpretation, implementation and upholding of the Namibian Constitution and the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed in it.
Chief Justice Shivute read law at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) Honours Degree. He also holds a Master’s Degree (LL.M) from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom, as well as other qualifications in Development
Advocate – High Court & Supreme Court of Namibia | Arbitrator | Treasurer, Society of Advocates of Namibia
Adv. Lovisa N.K. Ihalwa is an Admitted Legal Practitioner of the High Court of Namibia, practicing since July 2015, called to the Bar on 8 December 2020. Her practice encompasses constitutional and administrative law, commercial and labour law, mediation, adjudication and arbitration. Her practice encompasses constitutional and administrative law, commercial and labour law, mediation, adjudication, and arbitration.
Before joining the Bar, she served at the Office of the Government Attorney Senior Legal Officer, where she represented various government ministries and agencies in civil and labour litigation, including conciliation and arbitration proceedings.
She is an accredited Conciliator and Arbitrator under the Office of the Labour Commissioner and also presides over private commercial arbitrations and adjudications. Adv. Ihalwa holds a Master of Laws (Dispute Resolution) from the University of Cape Town, a Certificate in Arbitration in the Construction Industry from the University of Pretoria in collaboration with AFSA, a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (B. Juris) from the University of Namibia. In addition, she has lectured at the University of Namibia, serves as a Council Member of the SADC Lawyers Association, and is a contributing author to The Oxford Handbook of African Constitutions (forthcoming, Oxford University Press, 2028).
Senior Counsel | Chairman of AFSA and CAJAC Johannesburg
Adv Michael Kuper is a Senior Advocate at the Johannesburg Bar and one of South Africa’s most prominent arbitration specialists. His practice is focused on complex arbitration matters, including corporate, shareholder, partnership, and broader commercial and investment disputes. He is a recognised authority in both domestic and international arbitration.
A seasoned leader in the legal profession, Michael has served three terms as Chairman of the Johannesburg Bar and held the position of Vice-Chairman of the General Council of the Bar. He has also acted as a Judge of the High Court on several occasions, bringing judicial insight to his extensive arbitration and mediation work.
Michael’s arbitration career spans decades and crosses borders. He has acted as counsel, arbitrator, or mediator in numerous domestic, regional (SADC), and
international proceedings. His regional engagements have included cross-border disputes across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. Internationally, he has appeared, or presided, in arbitrations seated in the United Kingdom, France, Nigeria, and the United States of America.
He has been appointed to panels by prestigious institutions, including the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA). He acted as lead counsel for South Africa before the Permanent Court of Arbitration and has served as Country Rapporteur for South Africa.
Michael also holds panel appointments with multiple international arbitration centres, including:
He has held an appointment of Research Fellow of the Institute for Belt and Road Initiative and Research Fellow of the Institute of BRICS Leading Studies, East China University of Political Science and Law. He is a member of the Executive Council of ICDPASO.
He currently serves as Chairman of both AFSA and CAJAC Johannesburg, continuing to shape arbitration practice and policy across Africa and globally.
Justice Dikgang Moseneke has played a key role in South Africa’s transition to democracy and in the shaping of its constitutional jurisprudence.
Moseneke, imprisoned at the age of 15 for protesting apartheid, spent 10 years on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. He studied for his university degree while behind bars and worked as an attorney after his release. Thereafter he was called to the Bar and became a senior counsel in 1993. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court in Pretoria and thereafter served as a Judge of the Constitutional Court and was appointed Deputy Chief Justice in 2005.
Following his retirement Justice Moseneke has become a leading arbitrator and is a Vice President of the AFSA International Court as well as a Chairperson of the AFSA-SADC Panel of Arbitrators. Justice Moseneke is the holder of fourteen honorary doctorates and has served as Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand. He was recently appointed as an ad hoc Justice at the ICJ in the proceedings between South Africa and Israel.
Eliaser hold an LLM in corporate law, LLB and a B. Juris Degree. He is in private practice, prominently doing litigation and legal advisory work. He practices commercial law, construction, mining arbitration, constitutional and administrative law practice. Eliaser lectured part–time with the Law School of the University of Namibia.
Mediates disputes with the High Court of Namibia as a Court accredited mediator.
Member: Society of Advocates of Namibia; the Law Society of Namibia (Namibia)
Member: Legal Practice Council and Johannesburg Society of Advocates (South Africa)
Andile Nikani is a seasoned legal, corporate governance, and strategy professional with over 20 years of practical legal expertise. An admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, he currently manages multiple branches nationwide and oversees Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa as its CEO.
Formerly the Executive Head of the Takeover Regulation Panel, Andile made over 1,000 rulings during his five-year tenure, including more than 50 landmark decisions of critical importance to company law and the regulation of public mergers and acquisitions involving JSE-listed companies.
He specialises in:
Academically, Andile holds a BA and LLB from the University of Cape Town, an LLM from the University of Liverpool, and an MPhil in Corporate Strategy from GIBS (University of Pretoria). He is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Pretoria, researching M&A as a Strategy for Growth. His published research includes:
Andile has held international regulatory engagements as a visiting regulator at the UK Takeover Panel in London (2022) and the Hong Kong Takeover Panel (2023). He has presented his research papers at the London Stock Exchange, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, the UK Takeover Panel, and the Hong Kong Takeover Panel.
Before leading the Takeover Regulation Panel, Andile practised law for over 16 years, including three years at Bowman Gilfillan, as Partner at Moss Morris, and as Partner and Head of Department at Fluxmans for 13 years. He has also served as a guest lecturer in Corporate Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg, University of South Africa, and University of Pretoria.
Stanley is a Pan African Development Practitioner and an admitted attorney with over 15 years of experience working at the Executive level in the SADC and Africa Regional space in policy development and strategy at the intersection of the private sector, civic society and public entities.
His focus has been on Access to Justice, Regional Economic Integration, Democracy and Governance. Before joining AFSA, Stanley served as CEO of the SADC Lawyers Association and pioneered efforts to institutionalise administered arbitration in the SADC Region.
He holds an LLB from the University of Zimbabwe and a Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Governance from Africa University. He is completing an LLM in Multidisciplinary Human Rights at the University of Pretoria and holds an Executive Masters in Civic Leadership from the University of Delaware, USA.
His strong relationship-building skills and passion for dispute resolution will help expand AFSA’s industry presence.
Adv. Deon Obbes holds the degrees of LL.M in Mercantile Law, LL. B, and B. Juris. He was admitted as a legal practitioner in 2001 and was called to the Namibian Bar in 2005. He has served a term as an Acting Judge of the High Court of Namibia.
Adv. Obbes previously lectured part-time in the Faculty of Law at the University of Namibia and currently serves as an examiner at the Justice Training Centre, where he is involved in Civil Procedure (Supreme and High Courts).
Des Williams is the former Chairman of Werksmans Attorneys. He is now a consultant to Werksmans and practices as an independent arbitrator. He is a former Chairman of the Litigation Committee of the International Bar Association. He was the sole South African member of the International Court of Arbitration of the ICC from 2011 to 2018. He is the current Chairman of the SADC division of AFSA and a regular speaker and lecturer on dispute-related topics in South Africa and internationally. He has presented guest lectures on arbitration at Harvard Law School, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Johannesburg. He regularly contributes articles on arbitration and other dispute resolution-related topics to a wide range of international publications.
Susan is a certified International Commercial Arbitrator (ArbP – Swiss Arbitration Academy), MCIArb UK and Fellow of the Institute of Directors Zimbabwe. A registered Legal Practitioner, Conveyancer and Notary Public of the High Court of Zimbabwe, Susan has been on the panel of arbitrators of the Commercial Arbitration Centre in Harare since 2013 and on the panel of AFSA International Division since 2023.
Susan has over 25 years of professional experience with extensive industry and board exposure – having served on the boards of entities listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, state-owned enterprises, multinational organisations, not-for-profit organisations and in the financial services sector.
Susan holds an LLB Hons from the University of Zimbabwe; an MBA (Merit) from the University of Surrey, UK, (Chevening Scholar); an LLM (Distinction) from Bangor University, Wales and a CAS in Arbitration from Switzerland. In March 2025, she completed the 2024/2025 ICC Advanced Arbitration Academy for Africa programme.
Likando Kalaluka SC is Zambian legal practitioner and independent Arbitrator with over 23 years industry experience. Having previously served as the Attorney General for the Republic of Zambia from April 2015 to August 2021, he has experience in high-value investor-state, international and commercial arbitration. Whilst in his position as Attorney General, Likando was the chief legal advisor to the Government and ex officio member of Cabinet. He was responsible for the drafting of laws and statutory instruments, and for the approval of all contracts the Government (and quasi-government institutions) intended to enter.
Likando is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, United Kingdom and is an accredited Mediator at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), in the United Kingdom. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Derby and is researching on international investment law and focuses on how States can strengthen the regulatory framework for international investment in the extractive industry.
Kavendjii obtained a degree in law in 2000 from the University of Namibia. He is a currently practicing as a Legal Practitioners with the law firm Kangueehi & Kavendjii Inc where he is a co-Director. In his practice he specialises in company law, mergers and takeovers, law of insolvency, labour law, insurance and banking law, law of contract, administrative and constitutional for the law, competition law to mention but a few.
Kavendjii lectured law students full time at the university of Namibia law students during 2001 – 2012. He also worked as a public prosecutor at the Ministry of Justice.
He conducted research and transcription on the topic, Popular Perceptions of Political Institutions in Namibia. He also contributed to an article on the independence of the Judiciary in Namibia in the Namibian Law Journal with the title, Independence of the Legal Profession in Namibia.
Kavendjii was the recipient of various merits and awards including the book price from Juta Publishing Company and the Vice-Chancellor medal for the best overall student in the Law faculty. He served on various bodies on which he was a member of the executive committee including the Namibia Law Association, a body that seeks to promote the interest pf previously disadvantaged lawyers in Namibia, the Namibia Refugee Appeal Board, Land Tribunal, Nampower Board and the Board of First Capital Housing Fund.
Kavendjii was in 2022 re-elected to the Council of the Law Society of Namibia and is the current Acting President of the Council of the Law Society of Namibia, where he is leading the first black Council in the history of the Law Society of Namibia.
Ramon Lorenzo Maasdorp is a Namibian legal professional with a career spanning over two decades in the fields of constitutional, administrative, commercial, construction, and labour law. An alumnus of Stellenbosch University, he holds both a BCom (Law) and an LLB, complemented by executive education in Artificial Intelligence Implications for Business Strategy from MIT. Admitted to practice in 2005, Maasdorp has represented clients at all levels of the Superior Courts and is actively involved in alternative dispute resolution as an arbitrator and chairperson in complex commercial and employment matters.
He is a longstanding member of the Society of Advocates of Namibia and has held pivotal roles in several legal organisations, including serving as Chairperson of both the Law Society of Namibia and the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund. Maasdorp was appointed Acting Judge of the High Court of Namibia in 2023 and is a part-time lecturer at the University of Namibia. His professional service extends to directorships with major financial institutions and his ongoing contribution as a trustee and member of various legal and regulatory bodies.
Neli is the Director of the Law Society of Namibia.
She is a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme and High Courts of Namibia and a Court-connected mediator.
Neli held various positions within government ministries including, Secretary to the Board for Legal Education, Deputy Registrar of the Supreme and High Courts and Deputy Government Attorney. During her stint in government, she was involved in various prominent and high profile Supreme and High Courts cases including the so called “Fishrot scandal” and the challenge of the 2019 Presidential elections.
She also drafted human rights reports to the UN Human Rights Committees and African Commission on Human and People’s Rights and defended Namibia’s state reports before the those institutions.
She is the brain behind the writing and publication of the book: NAMIBIA’S SUPREME COURT AT 30 YEARS whose idea saw contributions and collaborations from various legal minds in academia and private legal practice.
She is a mother to 3 beautiful girls, Dimakatso, GivenBlessings and Gloryous.
Adv Steyn was born in Keetmanshoop, Namibia, and matriculated there at the PK de Villiers High School. He obtained his B.Com and LLB degrees at the Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg) in 1976 and 1980, respectively. He obtained his LLM degree in Banking and Stock Exchange Law in 2008 at the University of Johannesburg, with a dissertation entitled The Legal Implications of Foreign Exchange Rate Fluctuations. He practiced as an attorney in Randburg for four years. He has been practising as an advocate at the Johannesburg Bar since 1984 (save 1986 to 1987), and since 2014 also as an advocate in Windhoek, Namibia, from chambers in Swakopmund. But by statutory compulsion he is a legal practitioner and member of the Law Society of Namibia. He is a member of The Namibian Bar Association, who conferred senior status on him in 2025.
Adv Steyn is:
Adv Steyn is the sole shareholder and director of ADR Forum (Pty) Ltd which provides mediation and arbitration services in Namibia.
